Hard work, commitment, passion and a real sense of community has once again been the real winner for several communities all over Ireland this week following the announcement of the Tidy Towns results. Hats off to Coolagown who finished with gold – just two points behind the national winner, Moynalty. Coolagown is now ranked the second cleanest village in Ireland.

The ‘tidy’ effort began in Coolagown back in 1991 and the continuous improvements over those 20 odd years have been phenomenal to say the least. Their vision and commitment has paid off handsomely and it can’t be very long before we see them take the coveted title of Ireland’s tidiest village.

A number of towns and villages in The Avondhu catchment area have done very well this year and all those responsible for that are to be congratulated. However, without pinpointing any particular location, there is marked improvement to be made in some areas if groups want to emulate Coolagown’s success.